WILL President and General Counsel Rick Esenberg told “UpFront with Mike Gousha” his organization’s lawsuit on behalf of the Citizens for Responsible Government PAC aims to strike down state limits on the amount of contributions candidates can receive from political action committees.

“The Supreme Court has made it clear that there’s only one reason that the government can ever limit the amount of money that people contribute to candidates … and that is to avoid the appearance or the risk … of quid pro quo corruption,” Esenberg said on the program, produced in a partnership with WisPolitics.com

Esenberg said PACs shouldn't be blocked from contributing to a candidate because other committees have already donated.

“It’s absolutely imperative, no matter how you feel about this issue, that our campaign finance laws in this state be rewritten,” Esenberg said.

Expressing support for the right of donors to contribute to campaigns without limitation, Esenberg said campaign finance regulation has resembled a game of “whack-a-mole,” wherein legislators continually work to patch loopholes in the law.

“Money will always find a way because the government does things that people care passionately about, and they want to be able to speak about those issues,” Esenberg said. “If we’re concerned at all about corruption, the proper remedy is disclosure.”

Esenberg rejected claims the deregulation of campaign finance creates a sense of voter disenfranchisement, citing the First Amendment.

“People say all the time that money is not speech, but the difficulty with that position is that it would be a meaningless First Amendment right to speak if all I could do is stand on the street corner and yell at the cars as they went past,” Esenberg said. “The fact of the matter is that you need to spend money to speak.”

State Rep. Brett Hulsey said his Democratic campaign for governor is centered on job creation, clean energy and a repeal of ACT 10 changes.

“I’m running to get Wisconsin working again,” Hulsey said. “I’d start out by giving workers their health care and retirement back.”

Although state Democratic officials have focused on Mary Burke’s campaign against Gov. Scott Walker, Hulsey expressed confidence in his prospects in the August Democratic primary. “I’m going to win,” Hulsey said.

He slammed the records of both Burke and Walker, calling Burke’s time as Commerce secretary “horrible for small business people.” He also criticized Walker for turning down $810 million in federal money for high speed rail. He said the move cost Wisconsin 13,000 short-term construction jobs.

Hulsey said there is “not much” difference between Burke and Walker.

The Democrat has generated buzz, and controversy for his unusual campaign tactics. Explaining his appearance in a confederate uniform at the Republican State Convention earlier this year, Hulsey said he intended to highlight segregation in Milwaukee County.

“I’ve been trying to raise these racism issues since I got in the Legislature, and the media wouldn’t cover it,” Hulsey said. “But when you show up with some Republican Party heads, suddenly you get people to focus on Governor Walker’s racist policies.”

According to Hulsey, tactics that garner coverage help him compete against his well-funded opponents.

“Politics has become … legalized prostitution,” Hulsey said. “I’m the only person in here who’s kind of a regular person; I don’t have the millionaires and billionaires behind me … so I have to get attention however I can.”